Date Macadamia Cacao Balls

I’m going hiking in the Stirling Ranges this weekend. It’s going to be cold and we will be expending a lot of energy climbing as many of the peaks as we can manage over 3 days. One of my hiking partners is a real carb kid. He’s an endurance athlete and totally addicted to the prerequisite “carb loading” type snack that is common with these types – think sugar and grains in various combinations.

I’ve shared variations of this recipe on this blog before but last night I decided to make a new variation on the theme. I was looking for something that delivered a high amount of energy (for our hiking) without compromising on protein to balance the sugar. I also used a food processor and blended them for a longer period of time, the result is a smoother consistency – they are delicious!

Delicious sugar free date cacao macadamia balls

2 cups of fresh dates2 cups macadamias

1 tablespoon of coconut oil (melted & cooled)

2-3 tablespoons raw cacao

Pinch or 3 sea salt

Shredded coconut

Place macadamias and dates in food processor and blend until you have a thick paste. Add cacao, coconut oil, salt and shredded coconut (as much or as little as you like, I added a handful). Blend together until the consistency is as smooth as you like.

Roll into balls and refrigerate overnight.

You can roll the balls in coconut before refrigerating for extra texture too.

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Hi Sarah – I made these and they are amazing! A little bit too addictive… 🙂 I used a teeny little cacao bar that I bought from Kakulas Bros because it was all I could find but which also cost me a small fortune.. Do you use powdered cacao (you say “tablespoons”..) and if so, where do you buy it..?

Hi Jane, glad you liked them, they’re definitely one of my favourites. You can buy raw cacao from most health food stores. Organic on Charles in North Perth has it definitely but many many other stores do too. 🙂